meridaman wrote:Heard somewhere they were planning to do a sweep this weekend or the weekend just gone, haven't ridden it for a few weeks so couldn't tell ya to be honest...

Rode it today from River Rd to Bexley North. East bound shoulder might have been swept in the last week, but the west-bound side still had truckloads of debris on it. Doubt it's been swept for weeks if not months.

WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

Me and some of guys are planning a possible trip to the Southern Highlands. Was wondering what the Hume Hwy/M5 shoulder is like between Prestons and Narellan Rd. I assume Camden Valley Way and Campelltown Rd are still totally unsuitable for bikes...

The shoulder is 'officially' closed south of Brooks Rd all the way to Narellan Rd. I say 'officially' as the shoulder is quite good all the way to the 1st Campbelltown exit where the current roadworks start. I've seen a few cyclists use it.

I would like to think the roadworks should be complete by Christmas in which case the whole of the M5 shoulder should be open to bicycles.

Scott

1975 Peugeot UO-8 - daily commuter along the Liverpool to Parramatta cycleway (and back again )

**Now living south of Campbelltown so commuting with the help of Mr Cityrail.

rogan wrote:Me and some of guys are planning a possible trip to the Southern Highlands. Was wondering what the Hume Hwy/M5 shoulder is like between Prestons and Narellan Rd. I assume Camden Valley Way and Campelltown Rd are still totally unsuitable for bikes...

Thanks

Camden Valley Way is not suitable for bicycles. The road is in shocking condition and there is no should at all for a large part of it.

How to you cross the Georges River on the M5 if going East bound, i.e. towards the city?

I plan to ride the M5, so i would like to get onto the M5 at Prestons and exit on HeathCoth Rd. Is it possible to cross over the Georges River bridge on the Bicycle, is the shoulder large enough over the bridge when going with the traffic over the bridge towards HeathCoth Rd?

LYMBER wrote:How to you cross the Georges River on the M5 if going East bound, i.e. towards the city?

I plan to ride the M5, so i would like to get onto the M5 at Prestons and exit on HeathCoth Rd. Is it possible to cross over the Georges River bridge on the Bicycle, is the shoulder large enough over the bridge when going with the traffic over the bridge towards HeathCoth Rd?

Very possible, but you need to have your wits about you.

The eastbound crossing of the Georges River at Liverpool is the dodgy one. Firstly, you have to cross a two-lane entry ramp coming in from the Hume Hwy. Plan to stop and take a good look at traffic at the bicycle crossing point (where the gap in the marked island line is). There is a shoulder, but it's not very wide - and there's lots of broken glass and debris that's a sure indicator that motorists do really dumb and impatient things in this place.

On the east side of the river, you've got to get across the off-ramp from the shoulder on the eastern side with lots of traffic taking the Moorebank Ave exit. Cars will often still be ripping past you at 80 kph plus at the point where you would need to cross the off-ramp. And you see plenty of drivers making last-minute exits from the right two lanes (starting from approx 100 kph when they realise they've nearly missed their turn).

Just be willing to stop and wait for a safe opportunity to get across. Don't rely on drivers using indicators, or even being in the right lane to make an exit.

For the west-bound direction, you have to use the pedestrian walkway on the southern side of the bridge. It's pretty narrow - and often well littered with broken glass etc.,. But safer than competing with traffic in the left lane (which comes racing down the Moorebank Ave on-ramp). The westbound off-ramp to Hume Hwy is also double-lane, and hence fairly difficult to negotiate. Aswith the eastbound case, be willing to stop and wait for a safe chance to get across.

Lastly, do everything you can to increase your visibility - a good hi-vis jersey or vest is a must and good lights if your tripgets anywhere near close to dawn, dusk, fog, or heavy rainfall.

Cheers

WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

Thanks for the reply. Seems a bit dangerous, gotta be careful. One other question, is it legal to ride your bike on the shoulder lane, but against traffic? Does anyone ride this way?

So instead of using the pedestrian crossing over the Georges River going West, you cross over this river on the other side going West, but all the cars will be going towards the city. So the bike is going against the traffic on the shoulder lane over the Georges River bridge. That way you avoid crossing that dodgy double lane when you reach the hume hwy exit. It will be the hume hwy entry because you are going against traffic. Because on the east side it would be easier to cross since there is only one lane and you can see the cars coming towards you as opposed to having to look back.

One other question, how bad is the pollution? Being that close to all those passing cars/trucks throwing out car fumes cannot be good for the lungs.

LYMBER wrote:Thanks for the reply. Seems a bit dangerous, gotta be careful. One other question, is it legal to ride your bike on the shoulder lane, but against traffic? Does anyone ride this way?

Not worth arguing about the legality of it (IIRC, it is not). It is legal to walk against traffic on the (wrong) side of the road - because pedestrian's speeds are so low that it makes little difference that you are adding to the vehicles speed in a collision.

In either case, you're in a lot of trouble. But often traffic doing 100kph will wipe off a lot of speed before they hit you - so you could be looking at 30 + 20 = 50 kph v's 30 - 20 = 10 kph. Latter is very survivable, former is not. And when you lower the collision speed you give yourself more of a chance of either you or the motorist taking a last minute avoidance action.

Pollution isn't noticeably bad - even in peak hour. I probably finish with a bit more grime on my legs after riding on the M5, but upper body and lungs doesn't get affected.

Any road can be dangerous if you don't treat it with appropriate risk-management. For the M5, just be patient. I

WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

wombatK wrote:The eastbound crossing of the Georges River at Liverpool is the dodgy one. Firstly, you have to cross a two-lane entry ramp coming in from the Hume Hwy. Plan to stop and take a good look at traffic at the bicycle crossing point (where the gap in the marked island line is). There is a shoulder, but it's not very wide - and there's lots of broken glass and debris that's a sure indicator that motorists do really dumb and impatient things in this place.

When I commute along the M5 past here I'll stop and wait for a break in the traffic entering the M5. Then I ride the shoulder, which can be a little debris-laden...It's a slight downhill so I egenerally pick up quite a bit of speed (50km/h+) and merge into that lane. quite often it isn't moving all that fast. This makes it easier to jump into the should when the lane turns off to Moorebank Rd.

Kev365428 wrote:AOh, just watch out for the step that runs almost parallel with the direction of travel as you pass the Kinsgrove Rd on ramp heading east. It could catch the unwary.

Kev.

That bit spoils it for me - definitely a hazard on 23mm tyres and light rims. Would hate to tackle it in Sydney's current wet weather.

RTA has also failed to leave the cyclist crossing gap in the painted island on the on-ramp and off-ramps at King Georges Rd. So there is no place you can legally cross it - the only legal option is to merge from the shoulder into the traffic lane. IIRC, the cyclist symbols in the shoulder have also not been repainted.

I have emailed the RTA about it, 3 weeks ago, but absolutely no response. They don't give two hoots for cyclists.

Cheers

WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

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